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What is an indicator?

Modified on: Tue, 27 Jan, 2015 at 10:21 AM

Indicators can be defined as qualitative or quantitative
parameters used to describe parts of the water resources system under
consideration often in ecological, social, or economic terms. In the context of
decision making in water resources, indicators are used to assess the
performance of the system under current and anticipated future conditions
(human-induced and natural).

For example, the annual generated hydropower per catchment,
region or country is an indicator that shows how much hydropower is generated
on annual basis. This indicator can be used by decision makers to assess the
position of a country, for example, against a national or a regional target.
Similarly, the number of households with clean water and proper sanitation at
the continent level is an indicator that can also be compared against, for
example, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).